


Not That Great.

by lovette11



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, Soulmates AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-31 04:51:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3965035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovette11/pseuds/lovette11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony knew he wasn't exactly a lovable guy, but he'd hoped that his soulmate would've held a different opinion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not That Great.

**Author's Note:**

> your run-of-the-mill soulmate's first words on your wrist au

Like everyone else, Tony's words appeared as he turned 18. It was like a mild irritating rash for the entire night before his birthday, then come morning the words were scarred into his skin like black ink. He took one look at them and winced, purchasing a leather wrist cuff immediately.

No one else knew about Tony's words, he never even took the cuff off, it had been reported on in several news articles and everyone under the sun was dying to know the words that etched his skin. 

Tony dated people, of course he did, he even loved a few of them too, but he knew they were biding time until meeting their soulmate just like he was. Although with every glance at his wrist he wasn't sure if he even wanted to meet the lucky person.

* * *

Bucky's words had been on his left wrist, some nights, before the fall, he'd stroke his thumb over the words, curiously conjuring a character within his head of his soulmate. After he lost his arm his words reappeared painlessly upon his right.

**"No, I'm better."**

He barely gives them a second glance as he pulls out a rifle to take down yet another guy in a suit.

* * *

"Tony, this may be a lot to ask..." Steve trailed off looking nervously to Sam at his side, Tony continued working on a dismembered gauntlet which Steve assumed would soon be a part of his suit. "But after what happened with S.H.I.E.L.D. this is the safest place I could think to bring him."

Tony looked at him and quirked an eyebrow, "Did you consider the outcome in which he doesn't want to come?" Steve sighed in frustration and crossed his arms.

"He'll want to." He said determinedly clicking his jaw, Sam shifted on his feet beside him.

"He's not the same guy you knew Cap, there's a chance he never will be." Tony pointed out airily, as though he was stating confirmed statistics or the digits of pi. "You can't go searching for him with this mindset that he's gonna take one look at you and it'll wash away the past 70 years of literal torture and brainwashing."

"Yes Tony, I reali-" "Not to mention being a weapon for a lethal Nazi co-operation." Tony interrupted, then pursing his lips waving his hand to encourage Steve to proceed. Steve glared, "Yes Tony. Thank you for that reminder." Tony aimed a finger and thumb at him and clicked his tongue, right hand still working on the gauntlet at the work bench before him.

"Look it's fine. Forget it, I'll take him somewhere else. Get an apartment or something." Steve shrugged and nodded at Sam towards the door.

"Oh yeah, sure, attempt to play house with a master assassin that tried to killed you. That's obviously the best solution here." Tony scoffed, shaking his head to himself.

"Then what do you suggest I do Tony?!" Steve yelled, causing Tony to flinch and pause movement for a moment. Sam put out a hand to Steve's chest and he took a breath. "What am I meant to do?" he whispered at the floor.

"Steve." Tony said, he was closer now, patting him on the shoulder sympathetically "I get it, of course I do, you want your friend back. You want him to be safe. But sometimes it's not that easy... You can't- You can't just mould him into the person he was, otherwise you're just as bad as the guys at HYDRA." He gave a tight lipped smile and dropped his hand. "I'm not saying you can't bring him here, I am all for him being here, I think it'd be great for him. It's safe. It's quiet. He can have his own floor. He'll be around you."

"So why are you fighti-" Steve tried as Tony raised a hand.

"I'm not fighting you on this, for once I agree with you. But I'm not convinced that when you ask him, you're actually  _giving him a choice_ does that make sense?" Steve wavered his head as though he was going to argue but gave a sharp nod, Tony shot a grateful smile towards Sam. "Just promise me you have his best interests at heart."

Steve spluttered in outrage "Of course I do Tony, wha-" Sam put a hand on his arm and shot him a look, Steve sunk and nodded "Yes, alright, fine. I promise."

"That's all I needed to hear Spangles, now go get 'im." He grinned turning his attention back to the work indicating the conversation was over.

* * *

 

"Steve. It's been 8 weeks-"Sam began as he opened the door to yet another motel, 

"I'm not giving up." Steve shot back with an ice glare.

"I'm not saying give up, you ass. I'm saying he's got the hint that we're looking for him, maybe we should wait out and let him come to us." He gave a shrug and hauled his bags over his shoulder, accepting the keys from the receptionist with a smile and handing her the money.

"I just want to bring him home Sam." Steve sighed resting his head against the door frame as Sam began to fiddle with the lock of their motel room.

"It's not his home Steve." Sam replied sympathetically, "He'll come around eventually, but the team need their captain." 

* * *

 

"This place is even fancier than on the news." Steve jumped at the voice, leaving a moment to compose himself before turning around. It'd been 4 months since he had reluctantly returned from the chase after Bucky and before him stood the metal armed assassin in a dark blue hoody and baseball cap. "Seems like a nice life you got here." he said after Steve had been silent for too long.

"Erm, yeah," Steve coughed and shuffled from behind the breakfast counter. "Took me a while to get used to.. you know, the lights and, err, the internet but... Stark's a good man. This place is his by the way," he gestured to the ceiling pathetically.

"Never would've guessed." Bucky retorted with a seemingly pained chuckle.

"Oh yeah, of course," Steve nodded, suddenly becoming aware of his hands, he re-positioned them a few times before placing them within his pockets. Bucky watched in mild amusement as he stepped around the room carefully, after a few silent minutes Steve gathered the courage to whimper out "You look good Buck."

"Yeah, well," he gave a distracted shrug as he flicked through the television channels.

"Do you, err, want something to eat? Or you could err, Stark has a room put up for you if you want to take a nap?" Steve waited anxiously, waiting for the moment Bucky fled from the tower. But it never came.

"You sure seem set on this Stark fella, huh Stevie?" Steve's knees almost buckled from the use of the childhood nickname, although it didn't seem as fond as previously, almost like it had come to mind and Bucky was trying it out for the first time. 

"Well, you know, he gave me a home." Steve then proceeded to ramble on about Tony and how they met while he made them both sandwiches, "He's great, I'll introduce you to him." he grinned passing over the plate totally unfazed by the metal hand receiving it.

* * *

"Hey Tones," Tony looked up to the figure in the doorway, Steve ducked in with a bright grin and sat on the couch in the corner of the workshop.

"Dear God, it's like déjá vu to six months ago," Tony remarked pointing as Steve settled into the couch and withdrew a sketchbook.

"I know. I'm sorry. I've been busy," Steve frowned as Tony just waved a hand over his shoulder turning back to the holographic image JARVIS was presenting.

"I get it Cap, consider yourself forgiven, now how can I help?" 

"Err.. Nothing Tony?" Tony looked up in shock, tilting his head to the side like a puppy "I'm just here to talk, like we used to?" Steve explained, Tony shot him an accusatory glare but continued working after a couple of seconds.

"Okay then, chat? I can do chat. What's new with you?"

"Well Bucky's back..." Steve waited in anticipation for Tony's response, watching curiously as the man just continued working.

"JARVIS mentioned." Tony elaborated at Steve's silence.

"Ah. Well he's doing... Actually really well? I mean as well as someone that's in his position can be doing..." Tony nodded, "And he's agreed to go to therapy with Sam next week,"

"That's great Cap!" Tony grinned and leant over over, taking his hand and forcing it to fistbump against his own. Steve gave a bark of laughter.

"Would you be interested in meeting him? I'm trying to take it slow with introducing him to all these new people but I just thought since you never come to the group dinners he hasn't really had a chance."

Tony's grin fell for a brief moment, another one flawlessly taking place as though on demand. He turned away immediately at Steve's concerned face  "Sure, Steve. I'll come up tonight." 

"Thanks Tony." Steve smiled even though the other man was facing away, watching the tension in his muscles as he worked.

"Perhaps you should go get ready." Tony spoke cautiously with a tone just bordering sharp, Steve took the hint and nodded, tucking his sketchbook into his elbow and walking quietly out the workshop, gaze lingering on Tony's back as he faced away clearly pretending to be working.

* * *

 

True to his word, and despite Steve's instinct, Tony showed up during team dinner. Bucky was still agitated by the group but had sat himself on the edge of the couch beside Steve and Clint.

Tony stalked in silently and sat at the breakfast bar, tapping on a tablet distractedly.

"Oh Tony! Didn't hear you come in." Steve greeted, waving a hand over to encourage him forward, Tony held up a hand and shook his head.

"Stark? But you _never_ come to team night?!" Steve slapped Clint's head with a tut and turned back round to face Tony. Clint grumbled something to do with abuse and joined Natasha on the recliner as she rolled her eyes and stroked his hair.

"Tony you're welcome to join us," Bruce gestured to the open seat Clint had left beside Steve. Tony once again determinedly shook his head, keeping his eyes glued to the tablet screen. "Okay well we're watching Jurassic Park." Bruce shrugged, eyes flicking between the seat and Tony suggestively, ignoring the glare Tony gave him.

"Huh." Bucky cocked an eyebrow and sauntered to the breakfast bar standing before Tony "You're not as great as people make you out to be." it was clear by "people" Bucky meant Steve. Tony's hand snapped onto his wrist, clenching his jaw he forced himself to look back up at Bucky.

"No," Tony smiled patronizingly at him "I'm better." with a tight-lipped smile Tony grabbed his tablet and began to leave.

Bucky's eyes went wide for a moment, attempting to place the evidence before him into a conclusion. "Really?" he started, Tony paused in the doorway and turned around with a raised eyebrow. "Because so far Steve has mentioned you 54 times and counting, oh don't protest Steve I've been counting," he threw over his shoulder at Steve's squawk. "Yet I have lived here for 3 weeks and this is my first time meeting you. And clearly this is your first time to an actual team bonding session, which is just weird considering I know these things started over a year ago. Also you're always seeming to make an appearance for the press. So how is it that the great Tony Stark can say hello to a camera and not his fellow Avengers?" Tony's face twitched in anger. Bucky crossed his arms smugly and rested his side against the breakfast bar, the whole team anticipating the outbreak of an argument.

"Okay first of all, that is excessive Steve, you need to make more friends, I'm not that interesting," Steve threw up his hands in resignation "Second of all, do you really think you could get into this building without me knowing? Please, I had all your information on a database as soon as you stepped foot within my parameter. Third of all; The reason I'm not at "team bonding sessions" as you call them," Tony raised his fingers to make air quotes mockingly "is because I have a job other than being an Avenger, if you're not aware I do actually run a company, as well as provide this entire team with their equipment, that includes weapons and uniform by the way, most of which the like of your brain couldn't even comprehend. So when you say "great Tony Stark" you better fucking believe it."

Bucky raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips in a mocking frown. "How do you expect me to really believe all that when you don't even believe it yourself? It's actually quite sad..."

"Fuck you Barnes." Tony spat indignantly.

"No we'll get to that part later," he said boldly, "first I wanna know why you're putting on this bullshit charade." Tony just scoffed and walked out. Bucky swiftly following behind him.

Once in the workshop Tony sat at the bench, pretending to not notice Bucky taking place beside him. 

"I'm really not in the mood." Tony sighed, rubbing at his eyed with a groan.

"I know, I'm sorry..." Tony side-eyed him, "Genuinely!" He insisted "It's just I saw it as soon as you walked in, in fact I could hear it in your footsteps as you approached... You don't think you belong here and I don't know why but it annoyed me? Maybe because you're all Steve talks about and I just thought you'd be this amazing human being but then you arrive half an hour late with grease in your hair and on your shirt, not that isn't like totally sexy by the way, and just ignore everybody in the room!"

"They don't need me anyway." He said confidently, but Bucky noticed how the other Avengers shared a look when he left the room that suggested they disagreed. "They need Iron Man and to be honest it's easier for me to be Iron Man than their friend, I can make tech and I'm good at it. Science, and invention, mechanics. I'm a genius, I got that in the bag. I go in there and I just _know_  they see spoilt rich boy with daddy issues and a metal suit. And it's easy to be that, then they can't be disappointed."

"I have been here for 3 weeks and already I can tell you that's not how they think of you." Bucky sighed, "I just don't get why you're being Tony Stark and not just... Tony."

"People care about Tony Stark, they love him." Bucky scoffed and Tony gave him a playful shove "They do! They're all over me, so I do press because if I'm in front of the camera it means they don't have to be. I go to interviews because I've been raised to handle the press and they haven't, every time a paparazzi harasses me they're ignoring them. It's easier on the team for me to be Tony Stark."

"Is it?" Bucky inquired, resting his hand on Tony's thigh and stroking him with his thumb gently. "Because I could see today that there is nothing more that the people upstairs want than your presence. And not your _presents_." He stuck out his tongue and Tony batted him away with a self-deprecating scoff. "I'm serious Tony, if you wanted they would welcome you with open arms." 

Tony smiled sadly and shrugged. "Maybe not."

"You don't always have to be what you think people want you to be." 

"That's so poetic. Why couldn't I have got that on my fucking arm instead?" Tony whined slamming his head into his hands.

"Oh."Bucky paused, hesitating slightly "I didn't want to presume anything.. But err, could I look at it?" Tony swallowed and nodded, undoing the leather cuff with slightly shaking hands.

 **"You're not as great as people make you out to be."** was etched into Tony's skin, he shivered when Bucky slid his thumb over it. Bucky rolled his sleeve and presented it to Tony who seemed to sag with relief.

"So I guess that makes us soulmates huh?" He let out a shaky breath, shyly grinning up at Tony who was watching his wrist with wide eyes. 

"Hope not that great is good enough for you." Tony muttered quietly watching Bucky's fingers trace the letters.

"You know what? Not that great is actually pretty fucking great."

 


End file.
